$aving

A couple of weeks ago, Eskom warned us that we were once teetering on the edge of load-shedding (aka “rolling blackouts”) and that we must try to save as much electricity as possible to prevent this. People see this as counter-intuitive coming from the people who generate our electricity and therefore make more money when we use it, but it’s nothing unusual: I was brought up with YEB doing roadshows at our school telling us to use less electricity, so let’s forget the exceptionalism, shall we?

Anyway, it was a reminder to up our power saving and in turn, it reminded me that I never updated you lot on how my Geyserwise installation had worked out.

Geyserwise is a timer that lets you decide when and to what temperature you choose to heat your water for use in the house. This might seem like a bit of a no-brainer for those overseas, but that fact is that most South African households (who have geysers) leave them on 24/7. And it’s a pain to remember to switch it off on your distribution board or to climb into your loft to alter the temperature on the thermostat.

Now, instead of our geyser being on 24/7 (or when I remembered to switch it on/off), it’s on for less than an hour each day. Instead of being set to 65°C, it’s set to 50°C. And wow – what a difference to our electricity bill.

That bill has come down by around 45%, which means that rather than paying for itself in the 3 months I was hoping, the unit started saving us money within 6 weeks. We’ve fiddled with it very slightly – just altering the times a little to suit us better and taking the temperature down a little more – but I cannot fault the unit or its effect.

If you’re reading this and have been considering getting one of these, just do it.

Those contact details again: Leon at Geysol (076 036 0623).

This is not a sponsored post.

Free Music

Regular readers may recall a post towards the end of last year celebrating the news of a new Apparatjik album to be released early in 2012.

The good news is that the latest versions (draft 6) of the album tracks are now available for listenage and downloading on Facebook. It’s still got that 80’s electronica feel, with a touch of house and a hint of Röyksopp. And yes – you can hear the influence of Guy from Coldplay and and Jonas from Mew. Less so Magne, but it’s still great listening.

If you only have time for one song, I’d recommend Aretïve (the piano remix of Sequential) for those who want to get a quick feel (ooer!) of the sound.

But – these “auditory documentings” aren’t going to be around forever – get there now, download and enjoy.

You’re welcome.

Moerse Farm Stall, Napier (& more)

We decided that since we had the time and inclination, we would stop at some of the places we never stop at en route to and from the cottage while on our way back to Cape Town today.

Top of the list was the Moerse Farm Stall in Napier, which regularly almost entices us with its promise of “Flippen Lekker Viskoekies” & “Sexy Warm Brood”. (“Flipping Lovely Fishcakes” and “Sexy Hot Bread” to to the uninitiated…)

The actual farm stall bit of it is great, with all the traditional fare on offer: rusks, bread, milk tart, etc etc (but sadly, no FLVs, which had sold out already). The place was also filled with homemade placards of famous and inspirational quotes and quirky anecdotes as well.

This one – typical of the dry sense of humour of Manie Kriel, the owner (who also warned Alex only to pet Rosie the dachshund with his left hand, since he would need the fingers on his right hand to hold a pen when he went back to school) (Alex, not the daschsund) – caught my eye as we returned to our hectic urban existences.
But it was the nursery at the back that was so very unexpected: what an utterly amazing oasis of coolness and calmness in the 38°C heat.

    
The plants were healthy, happy (you could hear them singing), colourful and cool – awesome value too, especially when compared to Cape Town prices. Should you wish, you can sit in the sun (or the shade) and enjoy scones and coffee amongst the flowers before continuing your onward journey.

    
And – if you don’t want to miss out on the hugely popular “Flippen Lekker Viskoekies” & “Sexy Warm Brood”, simply ring ahead (028 423 3440) and place your order on the morning of your trip.

Our next stop was Dassiesfontein, which impressed me less. It’s bizarre, completely mad, and a stop that you really must make just to experience the eclectic nature of the place – rusks, biltong, antiques, leather goods, wood-burning stoves and ovens, a small restaurant, a tiny bar, cheese, chocolates, wine, and even a large range of chandeliers.
There’s no doubt that it’s a well-run and slick operation, but if this is SA Farm Stall v2.0, then I’m not going to bother upgrading. It was soulless, commercial and dangerously expensive – a far cry from our friendly, personal experience in Napier earlier in the day. If, as Dassiesfontein claim, they “represent the spirit of true South African hospitality”, then this country is in more trouble than we thought.

That said, I’m looking forward to enjoying a glass of the local “foot stomped” port (ABV 20% *whimper*) and some of the homemade cheese we bought there. And I’m glad we popped in, but I won’t be hurrying back.

Depending on how good the port is, obviously.

Heads up for dishwashing parents

Just a quick Public Service Announcement from your genial hosts here at 6000.co.za:


Pick & Pay are currently stocking finish powerball™ dishwasher tablets (x30) with a free Madagascar 2 : Escape To Africa DVD included.

You can’t use it to wash your dishes, but at R84.95 for the 30 tablets or R84.95 for the 30 tablets plus a Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa DVD, it’s a bit of a no-brainer.

 

In fact, this post is brought to you courtesy of that very same DVD, which my kids are currently watching instead of pestering me.

I don’t think I need to tell you that this represents pretty amazing value. Just get there before stocks run out.

Your Parenting Weekend: Sorted

I know that much has been said about the Green Point Urban Park childrens’ play areas by other notable Cape Town blogs, but we hadn’t actually test driven it with the kids until yesterday. Suffice to say that we’ll be going back.

If you’re a parent of young kids and you haven’t been there yet, you’re missing out. We were there between 5:30 and 7pm yesterday evening (it’s open 7am to 7pm) and had to physically tear the kids away from the place. And while there were families around, it was serene and peaceful there yesterday (aside from Alex splitting his toe open and the associated noise), I can only begin to imagine how packed it is going to be during the upcoming holidays *shudder*.

 

Something else which is going to be busy and fun is the Newlands VWS Open Day on Saturday. Now look, I’m telling you about this because it was an amazing experience for my boy last year, but I don’t want you all to turn up, otherwise it’ll just be rubbish. Apart from all the usual fire engines, helicopters and big hoses (careful now), there are snake shows, stall and competitions:

09:00: Gates open
10:15: Snake show
11:00: Firefighting display and chopper drop
13:15: Snake show (repeat)
14:00: Best-dressed firefighter competition
14:00: Firefighting display and chopper drop (repeat)
16:00: Gates close

I can highly recommend it.

 

And then to complete your parenting weekend plans, how about a visit to the magnificent Cape Town Stadium for the Ajax Cape Town vs Bloemfontein Celtic match on Sunday? Gates open at 1pm and kick off is at 3:30pm.

Ajax are once again making this one of their Family Fun Days, with jumping castles, fussball, face-painting and entertainment for everyone. I want you all to turn up (this includes the Ajax strikers), otherwise it’ll just be rubbish.

Add these events to the School PTA Fun Day and a braai from 3pm on Saturday and I’ll be glad to get back to work on Monday for a nice break. (Just kidding boss! hehehehe.)

*cough*